Feb. 1, 2026, 4:16 p.m. ET
The NFL coaching carousel has stopped … for now. There were 10 openings and as of Sunday they were all filled when the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals made their decisions. Stepping into a head coach position usually means taking on a project. What franchises made the best decisions to try and move forward and which ones are likely to be back on the carousel in a few years?
10. Robert Saleh: Tennessee Titans
The former 49ers defensive coordinator was once head coach of the New York Jets. As usual, that didn’t work out. Now, Saleh goes to a rebuild in Tennessee. He hired another New York flop, Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. The Titans need a lot more than Cam Ward and Saleh will be tested to fix this mess.
Mike McCarthy came out swinging, saying he would love to have Aaron Rodgers back. What else was he going to say, “I hope he retires”? The last three Steelers coaches were home runs. They all were young and turned out to have brilliant futures. McCarthy’s run in Dallas wasn’t as good as the one in Green Bay. Hard to believe he will be the answer in the long run.
Monken leaves the Ravens and heads to the perennial quagmire that is Cleveland. Going from Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to Shedeur Sanders and Quinshon Jenkins on offense creates more questions and problems than answers. Jim Schwartz bailed as soon as he found out he wasn’t going to be head coach. Is there anyone who can make Cleveland work? Hard to say.
7. Jeff Hafley: Miami Dolphins
The problems in Miami are greater than bringing in a defensive coordinator to be the head coach. Hafley made brilliant moves leaving Boston College for Green Bay. This may not be another right step. What is he going to do at quarterback? Tua Tagovailoa’s time has passed. That means starting over on a team that was nowhere near the top two in the AFC East.
The NFL is strange. Coaches with sub-.500 marks get fired only to be hired by another team because they have reputations as doing great jobs. Stefanski was 7-26 in his last two years in the disaster that is the Browns. The quarterback quandary was the subject of headlines and ridicule. He comes to an Atlanta team with a lot of talent on offense that has never pulled it all together. The division is terrible. That could be his best hope for success on a franchise that defines mediocrity.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur
Hope LaFleur realizes exactly what challenges are ahead. The three teams in front of the Arizona Cardinals are light years better than that team in last place. The quarterback situation is always a question with Kyler Murray never developing in the franchise guy. Jacoby Brissett actually played better than the Heisman winner from Oklahoma after Murray was injured. Among Sean McVay “tree” guys are Zac Taylor, Kevin O’Connell, and Brandon Staley. There are others but two of those three have not thrived. And the third had one great year.
Every time a coach or manager is hired in New York, the rush to gush is a tidal wave. The New York Rangers hired a coach in Mike Sullivan, who won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh but they were 9-10 years ago. Harbaugh’s Super Bowl win was a long time ago and he didn’t repeat. This is a big, splashy hire but it certainly does not assure Big Blue will earn a ring under him.
3. Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak
He has the genes to be a head coach. Kubiak will work with Tom Brady in making likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza a franchise QB. Problem is no one seems to fix the ills with the Silver & Black. Anything is better than Pete Carroll and Geno Smith. And if someone can’t work with the GOAT to make a franchise better, the dope is there is no hope.
Let’s chalk 2025 up to a rare year where the Ravens struggled. John Harbaugh did a great job during his time in Baltimore but every run has its finish line. Minter brings a defensive background and Baltimore is strong on that side of the ball. Figuring out how to keep Lamar Jackson healthy and happy with receiving targets is critical. As great as Derrick Henry is, one has to wonder how many more stellar years Minter can expect from the incredible running back.
1. Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady
Keeping Josh Allen happy was important. One can assume the QB had input into this decision. If he didn’t like and appreciate Brady, there is no way the OC would have gotten the job. Following Sean McDermott won’t be easy. Brady’s background and familiarity with the organization is a plus. The only way to succeed here 100% is to win a Super Bowl. That is what Brady is up against.